Coin chute



Nov. 4, 1947. y. H. ANDERSON l I 2,430,320

com CHUTE Filed April e, 1946 Patented Nov. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COIN CHUTE Vernon H. Anderson, Salt Lake City, Utah Application April 8, V194:6, Serial No. 660,546

4 Claims. l

This invention relates in general to a coin chute for automatically ejecting coins, or slugs, checks, and the like, which are underweight or overweight, by discharging them laterally from the chute.

An important object ci the invention is to provide automatic selective means for laterally discharging coins from a chute when they are underweight by engaging them with a projection which ejects the coin through an opening at one side of the chute.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for selectively discharging a coin which is overweight from a laterally apertured coin chute by providing a variable coin supporting track in the chute so far depressed by an overweight coin that it will be ejected laterally from the chute.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an automatic coin ejecting chute in which a pivoted leaf forming a coin supporting track is delicately supported upon a tensioned spring whose tension may be adjusted so that if the coin is overweight or underweight, the leaf will be improperly depressed, and the defective coin will be ejected from an opening at one side of the chute.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a coin ejecting chute having a testing chamber which is inclined downwardly and laterally with an opening at the relatively under side of the chute and having an adjustable spring leaf forming a track therein which must be depressed the correct distance or the coin will be discharged from the opening.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a selective coin ejecting chute which has a passage inclined downwardly and transversely with a spring leaf |forming a track in the passage, and a projection above the leaf to deect underweight coins through an opening in one side of the chute, but delivering coins of the required weight through the passage against a chime or bell which will give a signal that the coin is of the required weight.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the speciiication and will be apparent `from the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a coin ejecting chute in accordance with this invention, the spring track therein being in its normal unstressed position;

2 the spring track in position for ejecting a lightweight coin;

Fig. 4 is a detail in section taken on line 4-4 oi Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 which is a view similar to Fig. 3, shows the position of the track for ejection of an overweight coin;

Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal sectional View showing a modification of the pivoted track and its adjusting means; and

Fig. '7, which is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 5, shows the position of the track for movement thereover oi a coin of proper weight.

This coin ejecting chute is particularly described as a selective device for use with coin telephones although it may have a more general use Wherever applicable. Each coin chute is designed and intended to receive coins of a certain size and weight, within predetermined limits, such as a nickel, a dime, or a quarter. This invention is to automatically discharge definitely underweight or overweight coins from the particular coin chute, and also to discharge other checks, slugs, and the like, which are underweight or overweight. Although the invention is therefore described as a coin ejecting chute, it is to be understood that this term also includes slugs, checks, or other devices which may be no larger than the proper size for insertion in the chutev but are denitely underweight or overweight, or are not proper coins to be received therein.

Although coins of different weights may pass through the downwardly inclined chute at diiferent speeds, the present invention does not depend upon such differences in speed but rather on the lateral inclination of the chute, the lateral discharge opening, the yieldable coin track,

' and the cam projection for ejecting light weight Fig. 2 is a View in transverse section, taken on Y line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section showing coins.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a prepayment type of telephone coin chute is shown, comprising a base plate B having an entrance passage i0 of a size depending upon the denomination of the coin to be inserted. This entrance passage which leads downwardly from the top, continues laterally past a deflector Il through a testing chamber I2 which is downwardly inclined to its exit end i3. To complete the chute, a cover plate lll may be secured to the base plate thereby entirely enclosing the `passage and the testing chamber, the two plates being secured together at their edges by any suitable fastening means such as screws or bolts l5 and nuts IB. The base plate is designed for iixed attachment to a mounting plate (not shown) in any appropriate way, with the testing chamber downwardly inclined away from the deflector II and laterally inclined away from the vertical.

At the relatively under or lower side of the inclined coin chute, and extending through the wall of the base plate is a discharge opening 2| defined by a rounded extremity 22 at one end, two straight intermediate portions 23 spaced apart slightly less than the proper coin to be discharged through the chute, and an upwardly extending recess 24 which both exposes and merges with a cam in the form of a beveled projection 25, near the exit end of the testing chamber. The lower or exit end I3 of the coin 4chute comprises an abutment 26 at the bottom ofthe base plate B.

Within the coin chute at the bottom of the testing chamber I2 and mounted in the basepl'ate B is a yieldable coin supporting track preferably comprising. a spring leaf 3D of thin metal or other suitable material having a supporting eye 3| `at one;` end for mounting it upon pivot 32 extending from the base plate B. The other end of the-leaf -track ismounted for a limited free movement bymeansof a hooked. extremity33 extending downwardly and embracing a fixed pivot or projection 34. extending inwardly from the plate B and .limiting the upward and downward movement of this end of thef track. BelowV the limitingA projection-34 and the hooked extremity 33 is-a `recess. 35.to receive the hooked end and allow it to move downwardly when thel track is de- Dressed.

To hold the track resiliently upward, a ilat spring 36.is mounted atone end in a boss 31 adjacent ,the recess, 35 by inserting one end of the spring36 into a receiving slit 38 in the boss, the other'end of. the spring bearing upon the yieldabletrack 30 at the under side adjacent its pivot 32}so. that the` spring itends to press the track 30,.to its. uppermost position. To vary the tension. of the. spring. 36, an adjusting screw 39 may be inserted throughthe bottom of the base plate B. adjacent the projection` 31 so that the inner end of: the.- screw engages the leaf spring y3b, and` by adjustingr the screw, the tension of thev spring, and consequently the upward pressure of the trackxSU, may bevaried and set as desired.

A modiiication of the spring structure is shown in Fig. 6` in. which a resilient leaf 40 forming the bottom track for the chute has a hooked extremity 4I at the free end engaged by the projection 3.4. The mounting of the leaf at the other endpcomprisesa bracket 42 supported by a piyot43. To press the track 4D upwardly, a compression spring 44 is mounted in a tubular sleeve 45.-.below and adjacentthe bracket 42 with an adjusting screw 4S threaded into the end of the sleeve- 45.V and having a block 41 interposed between the end of the screw and the adjacent end ofthe spring 44. so that as the screw 46 is adjusted, the spring 44 is forced more or less tightly against-the bracket 4.2, thus varying the tension applied to the under side of the track 4|). A lock nutf48.Y engages the screw 46 and the end of the sleeve 45 for locking the screw and the spring 44 in any adjusted position.

In. each of these constructions,4 the vertical width of the opening is slightly less than the diameter of the intended coin. The resilient leaf which constitutes. the bottom of the coin track will be` depressed in an amount depending upon the weight ofthe coin which traverses the chute. Three. positions of. a proper coin a, a lightweight coin b, and an overweight coin c are illustrated in Figs. 7, 3 and 5 respectively. A lightweight coin b will depress the yieldablc leaf 3E) only slightly so that its path of movement through the testing chamber is relatively high (see Fig. 3); as the coin moves down the chute, it is engaged by the cam projection 25 which deflects the coin from the lower end of the chute as represented in Fig. 4. An overweight coin c depresses the resilient leaf 321 (or 43) a greater distance so that the path of coin travel through the testing chamber is relatively low (see Fig. 5); the uppermost edge of a heavy coin will clear the top edge of the opening 2|, and since the coin chute is laterally inclined, the coin is free to fall out of the lateral opening 2| and will do so before it reaches the cam projection 25. A coin a of proper size and weight will depress the resilient leaf 3|]-v to only a minor extent such that the path of travel for the coin will be intermediate, allowing the coin to be guided at its top by the uppermost edge and straight portion 23 of the opening, while avoiding. engagement by the cam projector 25 within the testing chamber (see Fig. 7) The upper portion of the end wall 24 of the discharge opening may be formed with an inner beveled edge 5| (see Fig. 4) which assists in engaging and guiding a coin of proper size and weight within and through they chute for discharge through the end exit I 3.

The inner edge 52 of the opening 2| opposite the beveled surface 5I may also be beveled, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4, to assist the projection 25 in camming a lightweight coin outwardly through the discharge opening. 'I'his constitutes a means of very delicate adjustment when operated in conjunction with a laterally inclined coin chute. Since the lateral inclination alone is sucient to eject some coins, andthe operation of the resilient track in conjunction with the beveled projection ejects other coins, it is possible to make a very sensitive determination of the proper coins which will traverse the chute.

In one sense the resilient track is a lever of the third class, its pivoted end being the fulcrum; the effort which is resiliently applied is the leaf spring 3S, or the compression spring 44, as the case may be; this effort is applied at a point that is relatively close to the fulcrum end of the lever 3|) or 49 (as the case may be) forming the track along which coins are successively rolled during their passage through the testing chamber; and the tension exerted by the eiToIt against the under side of the track lever may be adjusted very closely so that the yielding support for the resistance or free end of the lever can be controlled with extreme accuracy. It is. largely this delicately balanced mounting for the coin track that is responsible for the dependable ejection of olf-weight coins passing thereover while moving through the testing chamber.

While a preferred construction and arrangement of parts has been described, it should be regarded as an exemplication and not a limitation of the invention, as various changes may be made in the construction, combination and aI'- rangement of the parts without departing-from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A coin ejector chute inclined downwardly and having means forming a laterally inclined coin passage with an opening along the relatively under side, means forming a resilient track for coins in the passage along the opening depressed relative to the weight of a coin, a projection at 'one side 'of the top 'oi the passage to engage an {underweight coin on the track and deflect it from the opening, and an overweight coin depressing the track to bring the top cf the coin below the top of the opening to discharge the coin by gravity from the inclined passage.

2. A coin ejector chute inclined downwardly and having means forming a laterally inclined coin passage with an opening along the relatively under side, means forming a resilient track for coins in the passage along the opening depressed relative to the weight of a coin, the track being sumciently depressed by an overweight coin to discharge it through the opening from the inclined passage by gravity, means to engage an underweight coin on the track for ejecting it from the passage through the Opening, and the track being sufciently depressed by a coin of proper weight to avoid said engaging means and to pass through the passage Without deflection from the opening.

3. A coin ejector chute inclined downwardly and having means forming a laterally inclined coin passage with an opening along the relatively under side, means along the opening forming a resilient track for coins in the passage depressed relative to the weight of a coin, means including a projection for engaging light Weight coins and discharging same from the opening through which also overweight coins tend by gravity to be discharged, and the track positioning a coin of proper weight to engage the inside of the chute above and below the opening and free from said projection to pass clearly through the chute.

4, A coin ejector chute comprising means forming a coin passage inclined downwardly and laterally from the vertical with an opening extending lengthwise of the passage along the relatively underside thereof, the width of the opening vertically being slightly less than the diameter of the intended coin except at the downward end where it is enlarged upwardly, a lateral projection forming a coin ejection cam internally of the passage opposite the upward enlargement oi the opening, and a bottom track for the coin passage yieldable downwardly in response to the weight of a passing coin whereby the latter, if underweight, is permitted to advance through a relatively high path to encounter the lateral projection and be cammed thereby for ejection laterally through the opening, and if overweight, is caused to advance through a relatively low path wherein it clears the top edge of the lateral opening for gravity discharge therethrough.

VERNON H. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

